January 22, 2026
To Prachuap Kiri Khan - an Old Friend
From Little Home Beach to Prachuap
To Prachuap Kiri Khan - an Old Friend
We were up early, as usual, but we didn't get going as early as our cycle touring neighbors. We had met them the night before as they entered Little Home Beach Resort and talked to them again at the restaurant a 200 meter walk on the beach away. He is an American the same age as I am and was married to a Thai woman. It's so rare for a Thai woman to cycle tour that I think she may be the first we have ever met. They live in Chiang Mai but had only started their trip through southern Thailand after shipping their bikes to Hua Hin. In fact, this may have been their first day of riding come to think of it. They had done some riding around Chiang Mai but it was the first tour the woman had ever attempted. Good for them. I saw them leave before we had opened our door.
We found out there was coffee in the empty dining area and it was such a beautiful morning that we took some time to sit and sip and watch waves. Mornings are bliss at the beach. It's the only time it's truly cool. The humidity is actually really high in the mornings however. We were enjoying the coolness, ignoring the humidity and watching the soft light unfold the sea. The guest house or resort is in the middle of nowhere at the beach so it feels very remote which we liked. I was surprised there were no dogs at the guest house anymore. Two years ago they stole my shoes and gnawed on them pretty severely. That was a crazy entry in our previous journal. This time at LIttle Home it was pretty subdued - a stark contrast to last time.
We didn't really have far to go to get to Prachuap Kiri Khan, a coastal town that seems like an old friend. It was exciting to once again be headed to Prachuap. I think it's our fourth time in Prachuap with bicycles. It's not that Prachuap is such an exciting town. It's full of old buildings that look a bit rundown. The market building looks like Hell. The beach in front of the town has been replaced with a sea wall that was built maybe a bit too close to the sea. Waves crash on it and spray over it until low tide has been fully attained. The wall will eventually have problems. Already all the light poles have been literally rusted off. They are gone!
I'm getting ahead of myself talking about having already gotten to Prachuap. Thoughts of Prachuap occupied my mind most of the way because the route is pretty boring. We were never far from the sea but in between were large lots with evidence they were once bulldozed of brush but now has grown back. Large lots waiting for development or over optimistic development which might turn into a half finished hulk the result of a dream gone bust. We see them all the time. You can't develop the entire Thai coastline with multi story hotels or condos even if there are dreams of it. There were a few modern mansions that the wealthy owned but there really wasn't much along that coast. The train tracks were also not far from the coast and we were right next to them for most of the 22 miles; a long, straight, deserted road that was like a bike path.
We went over two small rivers near the beach which provided protective mooring for boats. They are always very colorful places. I love stopping on top of bridges just to look at the colorful anc cute Thai fishing boats.
At one point the long straight road gave out and forced us to go through a short tunnel under the railroad tracks. We were only on it for a couple of miles but it was long enough on the other side of the tracks where there was a tiny bit more civilization and I saw a woman frying bananas. In fact, she was just lifting the fresh batch from the boiling oil as I screeched on my brakes. Fresh is best. And, hey, we hadn't had any breakfast. They are so cheap (a small plastic bag with a lining of newsprint to soak up oil - $.60). The bag swings on my handlebars as we ride and whenever we feel like it we stop and eat one or two and are then wondering what to do with our oily fingers. Maybe that's why my cork handlebars look so dirty!
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We went through another short tunnel and were back on the coastal side of the train tracks and soon we were right beside the sea going around the headland at Ao Noi Beach. Ao Noi Beach marks the beginning of the outskirts of Prachuap, meaning, there were some businesses including a cheap coffee kiosk. We sat and had Thai cha yen and polished off the greasy bananas. We rode right next to two nice temples and then we were on the northern end of the long four or five mile arc of the Prachuap waterfront. Up to the northern end there is a bit of beach occasionally but with a promenade and seawall along some of it. There are few hotels along that stretch. In the 1970's I remember there were no sea walls in Prachuap. I wish it was still like that but I guess erosion became too aggressive. It's still a beautiful long arc with a long pier halfway.
There is something about Prachuap that makes it loveable. Most young people can't seem to feel it but older people definitely understand its charm. It's mostly a Thai town with a bunch of old foreigners hanging out for the winter. We rolled slowly along the seawall just enjoying the view of the nearby islands that protect the bay. I don't know how to explain it other than to say that Prachuap is an old friend. Maybe I can talk about that a bit more later.
We are planning on staying for four nights because it's laid back and we want some laid back at this time before we continue south. Mostly we are very much looking forward to visiting with two close friends we have who live in Prachuap. Barbara is American and her husband Richard is Dutch. They have lived all over the world and have incredible life stories. Just to tell you one thing.....Richard hitchhiked from Finland to Bangkok in I believe it was 1963 but it may have been as early as 1960. He stayed in Bangkok and worked as an editor for the Bangkok Post and Bangkok World newspapers throughout the '60's, during the Vietnam War! That's just a tidbit of his life. They are a wonderful couple and we can't wait to see them.
As we rolled along the waterfront there were dark clouds actually threatening us with rain. But we laughed off the threat. It never rained. It normally doesn't rain this time of year.
We checked into our hotel which is strangely called Shee-Va Cafe and Homestay. Homestays usually feed you all your meals but this has never happened at Shee-Va. And what kind of name is Shee-Va? If it is a butchered Shiva, well, wrong religion for around here. Nothing makes sense to me except the cafe. And the owner is very nice too. He makes sense. Time to be laid back now.
lovebruce
Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 1,218 miles (1,960 km)
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